Before Cougars fans start jumping off a cliff or declare that the sky is falling, pump the brakes.

For one, it’s still early in the process — a little too early to jump to the conclusion that Rhoades is out the door — and secondly, this shouldn’t come as a surprise.

If Texas A&M thought Houston’s football coach (former head coach Kevin Sumlin) was good enough for them, there’s no reason to think the athletic director isn’t.

Look at what Rhoades has done so far in his UH tenure:

• He secured funding for new and upgraded athletic facilities — a brand new football stadium that will begin construction in December and a renovation of Hofheinz Pavilion that will follow. Those were things long talked about before his arrival, but never accomplished until he took over.

• He led UH to a new conference, the Big East. Say what you will about the league and what it’s future may be, but the revenue and exposure will be better than if they stayed in Conference USA.

• Houston’s football season tickets reached their highest levels under his watch.

• Student-athlete grade point averages have reached all-time highs for Houston under his watch.

Has it been a perfect stay? No. The jury is still out on some of the coaching hires based on on-field/on-court results.

James Dickey and his staff have been monster recruiters but the Cougars basketball program is still far from where it wants to be in terms of wins and losses and its finish in the conference standings. The hire of Todd Whitting was lauded and he has done a fantastic job upgrading Cougar Field for the players and he nearly got a shorthanded baseball team to the NCAA Tournament last year but this season has been disastrous, so it’s still fair to say that the Cougars have not reached expectations under him.

On the flip side, Todd Buchanan got the women’s basketball team to the NCAA Tournament in his first season; this year the wheels came off when the Cougars suffered injuries to what would have been their two best scorers and had a dismal season as a result. Jonathan Dismuke has been a home run so far for the golf program, getting them back to the NCAA Regionals.

Tony Levine so far looks like a hit, but let’s wait at least a football season before we make a judgment.

No matter how long he stays, it’s likely that Rhoades lasting legacy at UH will be helping take Houston athletics to another level, getting facilities done and helping put the Cougars on the map in a way they haven’t been since their glory days in the Southwest Conference.

That’s a very long and roundabout way of saying that Texas A&M would probably be silly not to consider Rhoades as a candidate for its vacant position. At 46, he’s at a ripe age to take on a new challenge should he choose to. The Aggies have the stability of the Southeastern Conference to offer and certainly deep pockets. Rhoades already knows the head football coach there, Sumlin, pretty well. And the Aggies are looking to make upgrades to Kyle Field, so it only makes sense that they would at least consider Rhoades.

But you’d have to also think they’ll consider folks with SEC ties or SEC experience as well. This thing is a long way from over (heck, it’s barely started), so don’t go writing Rhoades’ UH obit just yet.